The present invention relates to acupuncture treatment of patients and in particular to a method and apparatus for controlling the heating and monitoring the temperature of inserted acupuncture needles.
The procedure of applying heat to an inserted acupuncture needle, known as moxibustion, has been practiced in Eastern countries for centuries and recently has been introduced to Western countries in conjunction with the art and science of acupuncture. In part, this procedure is the production of heat supplied to the inserted acupuncture needle by attaching a small amount of dried leaves of Artemisia Vulgaris, or wormwood, to the handle of the inserted needle and lighting it, or holding the lighted end of a cigar-shaped roll of the dried leaves against the needle to heat it. This heating procedure is continued for from 5 to 20 minutes. It is claimed by the practitioners of this procedure that the needles heated in this fashion have an enhanced physiological action.
Acupuncture treatments using these prior art methods of heating inserted acupuncture needles sometimes produce burns caused by hot ashes falling on the patient. Uneven burning and poorly constituted burning materials cause uncontrolled variations of the applied heat, resulting in variations in treatment effectiveness.